1. Public
Administration
as Governance
(1990s into the 2000)
Prof. Josefina B. Bitonio, DPA
LNU Dagupan City

2. PA as Governance (1990s into
the 2000)
The many failed development interventions in the
50s into the 90s spurred the introduction of
other development reforms. The “governance”
paradigm was introduced and advocated by the
United Nations (UN), World Bank (WB), Asian
Development Bank (ADB) and other
international institutions. The word
“governance” suddenly “has become something
of a mantra in recent years, uttered by donors,
reformers and pundits alike.” (Frechette 2000:
25)

3. PA as Governance
(1990s into the 2000)
• Governance entails a larger scope and has a wider
meaning. Though the term “governance” has been used
to refer mostly to “government,” when correctly used,
“governance” really goes beyond government. It involves
the institutionalization of a system through which
citizens, institutions, organizations, and groups in a
society articulate their interests, exercise their rights, and
mediate their differences in pursuit of the collective
good. (ADB 1995 as cited in ADB 2005: 1) UNDP
describes it as “the exercise of political, economic and
administrative authority to manage a nation’s affairs. It
embraces all of the methods- good and bad – that
societies use to distribute power and manage public
resources and problems.” (UNDP 1997: 9)

4. Cariño (2000), in her reflections on the term
“governance,” identified actors and factors
that pushed for governance. She
acknowledges that governance is not the sole
responsibility of the government per se but
the role of the market and civil society are of
equal importance too and should also be
recognized. She then identified the factors or
processes that pushed for governance and
some of these are: the quest for growth and
development, the environmental movement,
globalization and consolidating peace. These
are practically the same values or virtues
found in the UN Charter. Likewise, governance
promotes the virtues of decentralization,
participation, responsiveness and
accountability among others.

5. “Good Governance”
From “governance”, the concept of “good governance”
has emerged and became prominent in international
aid circles around 1989 or 1990. It served as a general
guiding principle for donor agencies to demand that
recipient governments adhere to proper administrative
processes in the handling of development assistance
and put in place effective policy instruments towards
that end handling of development assistance and put
in place effective policy instruments towards that end.
(Doornbos 2003) when there is good governance, there
is sustainable development..

6. • Kofi Annan (1997), in his inaugural speech in the 1st International
Conference on Governance for Sustainable Growth and Equity in
United Nations, New York, in July 28-30, 1997 affirms this when
he said that:
“Good governance and sustainable development are indivisible.
That is the lesson of all our efforts and experiences, from Africa to
Asia to Latin America. Without good governance – without the
rule of law, predictable administration, legitimate power, and
responsive regulation -- no amount of funding, no amount of
charity will set us on the path to prosperity…We are fully engaged
in efforts to improve governance around the world…good
governance is indispensable for building peaceful, prosperous and
democratic societies.”
• Annan concluded that “good governance is perhaps the single
most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting
development.”

7. An ADB document (2005) affirmed that
good governance is synonymous with
sound development management. They
then identified some key principles of
development which may be considered as
elements of good governance. These are:
accountability, participation,
predictability, and transparency.

8. Key Dimensions and Specific Areas
of Actions
Basic Elements of Good Key Dimensions Specific Areas of Action
Governance
1. Accountability means making Establishing criteria to measure •Public Sector Management
public officials answerable for performance of public officials •Public Enterprise Management
government behavior and Institutionalizing mechanisms to •Public Financial Management
responsive to the entity from ensure that standards are met.
which they derive authority • Civil Service Reform
2. Participation refers to Undertaking development for • Participation of beneficiaries
enhancing people’s access to and by the people and affected groups
and influence on public policy • Interface between government
processes and the private sector
• Decentralization of public and
service delivery functions
(empowerment of Local
Governments)
• Cooperation with non
government organization

9. Key Dimensions and Specific Areas of Actions
Basic Elements of Good Key Dimensions Specific Areas of Action
Governance
3. Predictability refers to the Establishing and sustaining • Legal Frameworks for Private
existence of laws, regulations appropriate legal and Sector Development
and policies to regulate society institutional arrangements
and the fair and consistent Observing and upholding the
application of these • Law and rule of law Maintaining
Development consistency of public policies
4. Transparency refers to the Ensuring access to accurate • Disclosure of Information
availability of Information to the and timely information about the
general public and clear economy and government
government rules, regulations, policies
and decisions
Source: ADB, 2005

10. Is there a Philippine Public
Administration or Better Still, for
whom is Public Administration?
• By; Alex Brillantes, Jr. and Maricel Fernandez
June, 2008